A 27-year-old man was arrested Saturday after police say he was accused of neglecting and beating his dog, which was “emaciated” and had trouble using its back legs when it was taken to a veterinarian for treatment.

Hubert “Chris” Maxwell, a former two-time All-American track and field athlete at the University of South Carolina according to GamecocksOnline.com, had been accused by a former roommate of abusing his dog, a male pit bull mix, dating back to late 2016.

Tallahassee Animal Control officers responded to a call in November 2016 at Maxwell’s house in the 1000 block of Delaware Street. His roommate said he had seen Maxwell pick the dog up by its collar and choke it, “swung the dog around, slammed it onto the floor and into walls, kicked the dog, and put his foot across its neck.”

The roommate also had filed a report with Tallahassee Police Department accusing Maxwell of battering him, but an arrest was never made in that case.

Following the November call to Animal Control, Maxwell was made to bring the dog, and another he had in his possession, a Shepherd mix, to Northwood Animal Hospital to get a rabies vaccination. There was nothing noted on the veterinarian’s examination in terms of injuries.

Then, on May 26, Animal Control received a call from Maxwell about a stray dog at his address. The reporting officer, the same one who had investigated the November call, “immediately recognized” the dog as the same one he had in his possession before.

Maxwell denied the pitbull was the same dog, insisting he no longer had either of the dogs. He said one had run off after being disciplined for urinating on the floor and offered no explanation for the other.

The pit bull was found by veterinarians to be “severely emaciated” and barely able to walk with lameness in its back legs. It was flea-ridden and missing chunks of its hair. The dog also had a severe ear infection.

The veterinarian’s office reported the pit bull made marked improvements with proper care, gaining back some of its lost weight and re-growing its hair, but still has some difficulty walking with its rear legs.

A warrant for Maxwell’s arrest was signed by a county court judge Nov. 15, but according to the probable cause report for his arrest, Maxwell was living in China working as an English teacher at the time it was issued. Maxwell’s Facebook page says he was employed with the East to West English Training Center in Xian, China.

Maxwell was charged with felony animal cruelty or neglect, and remains in the Leon County Jail on a $10,000 bond.